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Monday, October 31, 2011

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, intelligent agents raided the houses of two Christians in Shahriar, Karaj, and arrested one and summoned the other individual.

According to a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), on October 17, 2011, intelligent agents raided a citizen’s house in Shahriar but were unable to detain him since he was not home. This individual has been identified as “Mohammad N.” Security agents searched the house and confiscated a computer, books and CDs containing religious teachings and summoned Mohammad N. to the Intelligent Agency.

Similarly, on October 18, 2011, intelligent agents raided Fariborz A.’s house in Shahriar and arrested him. Fariborz A. is a newly converted Christian. During this raid, security agents searched the house and seized his personal property.

It's hard to believe that in the 21st century polygamy is still a practice that is promoted and encouraged by religious leaders in some Muslim majority countries, and allowed per Sharia law. Sure, there are Mormons who still practice polygamy in the U.S., but it is not sanctioned by the Mormon Church and it's certainly not legal.

It's a practice that an Iranian cleric would like to see more of in his country, but apparently the women there are not too keen on sharing their husbands with another 'wife'. So, Mohsen Ghara'ati blasted them during one of his TV broadcasts for their opposition to polygamy, blaming it on jealousy.

Ghara'ati said,

“If a man has the physical power and the financial resources, if he has two cars, two houses, two cell phones, and two of everything, if he can provide two of everything, when it is time for marriage, women say: No! One God; one wife.”

“What does this mean? This means the hell with one million women! If they commit sins, the hell with them! If they burn in hell, the hell with them! This is female jealousy. Women’s envy and resentment cause one million other young females to remain widowed.”

He also mentioned, that

“About twenty years ago, Tehran’s Prosecutor told me that there were 500,000 young widows in Tehran. This was 20 years ago. Right now, there are probably one million young widows in Tehran.”

That's probably because half of those men have been executed by the Iranian government for whatever bogus reasons they come up with for doing away with people.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

There are always two sides to every story, and the side that best suits our needs is the one we always seem to highlight. That's what the liberal media and the leftist tools seem to have done with the Iraq war veteran who was injured during the recent Occupy Oakland melee.

Let me preface this by saying that I hope that Scott Olsen, the critically injured Marine Corps vet, pulls through and makes a rapid recovery, but there are certain elements to this story that people should be made aware of.

First of all, I do not and never will condone police brutality, but if protesters get violent and start throwing bottles (as they did in Oakland), that violence is going to escalate when police retaliate; and they will fight back.

Olsen was one of several hundred protesters who swarmed through Oakland's downtown well into the morning hours on Wednesday, repeatedly clashing with riot police. In some cases, protesters threw bottles and tipped over garbage containers. Oakland police said two of its officers were injured when a protester doused them with cans of blue and pink paint.

If you truly peacefullyprotest and obey the law, you will not be harmed.

Secondly, he was not specifically targeted. He was allegedly hit by a projectile, but no-one knows where it originated from or what it was. For all we know, it could very well have been one of his fellow "Occupiers". People are chomping at the bit for this whole movement to get violent it wouldn't be at all surprising if there weren't some agitators out there purposely trying to provoke the police into action.

As for Olsen- he wasn't the squeaky clean, above reproach war vet that he has been touted to be. According to Mercury News:

In 2010, the Marines issued Olsen an "administrative discharge." Maj. Shawn Haney, a Marines spokesman based in Quantico, Va., declined to discuss Olsen's discharge, but said his departure could have been for anything from a medical condition to a punitive measure.

Who knows what the reason was for discharge, but he had a tremendous hatred for the Marine Corps. Verum Serum blogger Morgen Richmond has unearthed some more interesting tidbits about Olsen, including the fact that he is the owner of the domain IHateTheMarineCorps.com. Although it is not up and running, he is the registered owner of the site. And according to Verum Serum, there is evidence of drug use by Olsen. Click here for more on their story.

But, as Morgen sums it up, it's not about Olsen's less then stellar reputation, it's the troubling escalation of violence in the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protests that seems to be inspired by anarchists and others hell bent on ruining this country. I never thought we'd see violent protest in the U.S. again, after all, the Tea Party demonstrations were peaceful, but that seems to be changing with the OWS movement. Then again, "Occupy" activists did call for violence, I guess it's now coming to fruition. No doubt, there will be more.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

The latest asinine, Muslim-instigated frivolous law suit (and no, not initiated by CAIR believe it or not) is a complaint (60 pages no less) leveled against Washington DC based Catholic University of America. George Washington University law professor John Banzhaf (who apparently has nothing better to do), has filed a complaint with the Office of Human Rights in Washington DC alleging that Muslim students' human rights are being violated because the poor things have to pray in a room with Jesus Christ looking down on them and

“... surrounded by symbols of Catholicism – e.g., a wooden crucifix, paintings of Jesus, pictures of priests and theologians which many Muslim students find inappropriate.”

Well, duh, what part of Catholic don't they understand? Private Catholic Universities will, obviously, promote Catholicism and if some of the Muslims (or others for that matter) are offended by it as Banzhaf claims they are, then they need to find another college to attend. Preferably a public, non-religious affiliated school. Or if they prefer a Muslim education and like-minded students, then there are lots of them in the Middle East.

Human rights being violated? Please!

Banzhaf told Fox News that

“It shouldn’t be too difficult somewhere on the campus for the university to set aside a small room where Muslims can pray without having to stare up and be looked down upon by a cross of Jesus."

Why should they care who or what is looking down upon them? If you are a faithful believer of any religion you should be able to pray anywhere, heck Muslims pray out on the streets of Paris in droves, and who knows who or what is looking down upon them there.

And no-one else seems to have any complaints. Victor Nakas, from the public affairs office of the University said

“Our faithfulness to our Catholic tradition has also made us a welcome home to students of other religions. No students have registered complaints about the exercise of their religions on our campus.”

That's because most other religions are not demanding, as Islam has increasingly become. And it's not that the Muslim students are being prevented from praying. A university spokesman told NPR in an interview in 2010 that

“We make classrooms available, or our chapels are places where they can pray. We don’t offer Halal meat, although there are always meals that conform to Halal regulations, that allow students to do what they want.”

No Muslim University would make any concessions for students of other religions- if they are even allowed to attend.

The Office of Human Rights has said the investigation could take up to 6 months to complete. What a waste of energy.

Monday, October 24, 2011

What many had hoped would happen with the advent of what eventually was coined the "Arab Spring" was a journey towards democracy for those who fought hard to rid themselves of their ruthless autocratic leadership. Others, however, feared that with the removal of these dictators those mainly secular governments would give rise to fundamentalist Islamist political parties and they, in essence, would be replacing one evil for another. Those concerns, it turns out, were entirely warranted.

Tunisia, a mostly secular nation that encouraged freedom of religion and gender equality, will now have a Moderate Islamist majority leadership. The Ennahda Party is predicted to have won almost 40 percent of the 217 assembly seats with a 90 percent voter turnout. Opposition groups claim that it was mostly the poor who voted for the party, which seems to confirm that it is mostly the ignorant, uneducated that are drawn to Islamist ideology. In an effort to allay the fears of many Westerners and secular Tunisians, party members told the press that

“We would like to reassure our trade and economic partners, and all actors and investors, we hope very soon to have stability and the right conditions for investment in Tunisia."

“We respect the rights of women ... and equality between Tunisians whatever their religion, their sex or their social status.”

Sure, their elections were democracy in action, but Shariah law is the polar opposite of a democratic system of law. Women have very few, if any, rights under Shariah, and minority religions (including minority Muslim sects) are persecuted and marginalized in countries that adopt Shariah as their rule of law. And although Rachid Ghannouchi has vowed not to change the cultural fabric of society by imposing Islamic values on the Tunisian population, who knows if he will keep his word.

Then there's Libya. They too claim the country will be a moderate Islamist state, but Shariah will be the law of the land. According to Interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil :

"Any law that violates sharia is null and void legally. The law of divorce and marriage... This law is contrary to sharia and it is stopped."

That was in reference to laws during Ghadaffi's reign that placed restrictions on polygamy, which is allowed under Sharia. They also intend on establishing Islamic banking in Libya. They too are trying to reassure the world that they are moderates, but as is well documented there is no moderation in Islam unless it is secular.

Next up Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood whose founder Hassan Al Banna admired Adolf Hitler and whose slogan is "Islam is the solution" and "jihad is our way" is poised to win a majority, as well.

The West needs to come to terms with the fact that our idea of democracy is a far cry from what Muslim majority countries view as democracy. Shariah law is as backwards as it gets, and any country that adopts it as its main form of legislative law, is taking major steps back towards the dark ages.

What amazes me most is that these people have been given an historical opportunity to rise up out of the shackles of oppression, and yet they have opted to replace one form of domination with another far worse. All they had to do was look at Iran or the Gazans in Palestine to see the outcome of voting for a religious leadership. The Iranian people voted in the mullahs during their revolution in the late 1970s and are now suffering terribly the consequences of that decision, with no hope of gaining freedom in the foreseeable future. The Gazans voted overwhelmingly for Hamas, and they too are suffering under the governance of a hard-line, extremist group. While Libya and Tunisia might start off as so-called moderate Muslim countries, that will more than likely change over the years. Only time will tell.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

ETA- the socialist Basque separatist-cum-terrorist group that has been terrorizing northern Spain and southern France for the past 40 years- has declared that they will finally cease blowing people up. Or so they say. Apparently they were inspired to do so after the recent International Peace Conference held in Basque country. Headlined by former U.N. Secretary Kofi Annan and a bunch of Irish delegates who are more than well equipped to offer their advice, the ETA was encouraged

"to make a public declaration of the definitive cessation of all armed action and to request talks with the governments of Spain and France to address exclusively the consequences of the conflict".

They also "urged" the French and Spanish governments to "welcome" such talks "to deal with the consequences of the conflict", if ETA decided to comply.

Missing from the conference, however, was the Spanish government and the main conservative opposition Popular Party, both of which believe another ceasefire is not enough and that ETA should simply lay down their arms and be done with it.

Apparently ETA did take all that advice to heart and on Thursday October 20, several members (masked and dressed in black) made a statement declaring ETA had ceased all its 'armed activity' and that it

".. calls upon the Spanish and French governments to open a process of direct dialogue with the aim of addressing the resolution of the consequences of the conflict and, thus, to overcome the armed confrontation. Thorough this historical declaration, Eta shows its clear, solid and definitive commitment."

Long live the free Euskal Herria! Long live Basque socialism! No rest until independence and socialism!

ETA was responsible for over 800 deaths over 4 decades, including well over 300 civilians, of course that number pales in comparison to the over 17,800 Islamist terrorist attacks since 9/11.

Sources: eitb, GuardianUK, NY Times, For now, that is. As with most terrorist groups, when demands are not met, cease-fires are broken, as ETA has done in the past. And they do have demands, including their continued aim for Basque independence, as evidencced in the last few sentences of their 'cease-fire statement':

Thursday, October 20, 2011

It seems Canada gave the Palestinian Chargé d’Affaires in Ottawa, Linda Sobeh Ali, the boot after she retweeted a highly offensive, anti-Semitic video to her followers. She, of course, claims she had no idea what the video was all about, and that it was "unintentional and unfortunate". But if she's stupid enough to retweet something she hasn't viewed, asking her followers to "check this out", then she shouldn't be a diplomat. Chargé d’Affaires head diplomatic missions in the absence of an Ambassador- having a Twitter account seems highly inappropriate.

Apparently, the video shows an overwrought, highly emotional Palestinian girl reciting a poem entitled "I am Palestinian" in Arabic. Although some claim the subtitles in English calling on millions "to a war that raze the injustice and oppression and destroy the Jews" is wrong, and that the correct translation is "to a war that is destroying oppression and kill the soul of Zionism" it's essentially the same thing. Bottom line, she should never have forwarded that video.

She also made a statement saying that she does not "advocate for hate", but whether or not that's true for her, it's not for a great many Palestinian who do perpetuate and glorify hate.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

China and Iran are battling it out for top honors in the amount of state sponsored executions per annum. According to Human Rights Watch in 2010 the Islamic Republic of Iran executed 388 people, Amnesty International claims it was only 252. That, of course, doesn't account for all those that no-one is aware of, and apparently there are plenty.

The United Nations just released a report about an increase in human rights abuses in Iran [like this is something new] including a huge surge in the amount of executions. It also asserts that Iran has been executing people on the q.t. [also not a surprise.]

Highlighting a jail in Mashhad, in eastern Iran, the report said "authorities reportedly conducted more than 300 secret executions at Vakilabad prison in 2010".

"It has also been reported that at least 146 secret executions have taken place to date in 2011," it said.

"Vakilabad officials, in violation of Iranian law, allegedly carried out the executions without the knowledge or presence of the inmates' lawyers or families and without prior notification to those executed."

The 'official' count to date (for 2011) is a mere 200. Who knows how many more have actually been executed. And January was a busy month for them with 83 executed, 3 of whom were political prisoners.

Ahmed Shaheed, the one responsible for the UN report also said that:

four per cent of executions stipulated no charges, that 100 juveniles were on death row, and that more than 100 executions this year alone were for drug-related offences.

China might lead the world in executions (no-one knows the exact number but it's estimated to be in the thousands), but Iran wins hands down for the amount of juveniles who have been executed every year and currently waiting their turn.

Monday, October 17, 2011

I was actually convinced that Gilad Schalit- the young Israeli soldier kidnapped five years ago by Hamas militants- was dead. After all these years it just didn't seem likely, given the amount of hatred and animosity the Palestinians bear towards the Israelis. I'm certainly happy he's allegedly still alive, but I'm not so convinced trading one soldier for over 1,000 convicted Palestinian terrorist is such a good idea.

Some of those Palestinians include terrorists like Nasser Iteima, who was one of those responsible for arranging a suicide bomb blast that killed 30 people, during Passover no less, at the Park Hotel in 2002. 140 people were injured. Aziz Zalha, was one of the lynch mob animals who murdered two Israeli IDF reservists in Ramallah. Zalha is the one waving his bloodied hands in the above photo.

The soldiers were beaten, stabbed, had their eyes gouged out, and were disemboweled. At this point, a Palestinian (later identified as Aziz Salha), appeared at the police station window, displaying his blood-stained hands to the crowd, which erupted into cheers. One of the soldier's bodies was then thrown out the window and stamped and beaten by the enraged mob. One of the bodies was set on fire. Soon after, the mob dragged the two mutilated bodies to Al-Manara Square in the city center as the crowd began an impromptu victory celebration.

Along with those behind the planned Sbarro Pizzeria suicide bombing which killed men, women and 7 children, and the Dolphinarium Disco massacre, which killed 21 teens and injured 132. Then there's those involved in the Cafe Moment (Jerusalem) attack where a suicide bomber blew up 11 people, injuring 54. There are others, of course.

So 1,000 plus militants are being released back home to join the ranks of their fellow extremists. 477 now and 550 in 2 months. That's 1,000 more terrorists ready and more than willing and now able to focus their energy on the continued fight to eradicate the Jews in Israel. Their time in jail will probably have further fueled their hatred for the Israelis.

And negotiating with terrorists sets a terrible precedence. Hamas is already talking about kidnapping more soldiers to free the rest of the Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Abu Obaida, spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, Izzadin Kassam said that Schalit, who is set to be released as part of a prisoner exchange deal, "will not be the last solider kidnapped by Hamas as long as Israel keeps Palestinian prisoners detained."

I'm happy for Schalit's family, but I fear for the other soldiers that will inevitably be targeted, and for the Israelis who will have an army of 1,000 more Palestinians ready to wage war against them.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

When I think of public executions I think of past centuries, certainly not something a civilized society in the 21st century would participate in. But Iran still hangs people in public squares, and they're attended by huge crowds.

In, fact, those hangings are a good time for daddies to bond with their kiddies.

And it provides great photo ops. The official Iranian Fars News Agency posted 25 of those gruesome pictures on their website for posterity. And check out the spectators' cell phones and point and shoots.

The 'Iranian Human Rights' website claims that public executions have surged over the past few months and that

Iranian authorities announce the executions and broadcast them through the state media.

They've also called on the United Nations to help end public executions.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the spokesperson of IHR, asked the international community to act immediately in order to stop these barbaric acts. He said: Public executions are not only inhumane and degrading for those executed, but also for those watching including the children". He added: "We ask the UN to take serious steps in order to put an end on this inhumane and brutalizing punishment".

Of course, the useless U.N. is more interested in censuring Israel and promoting events like Durban 111, than dealing with barbaric practices that still exist in so many countries with Sharia law, like public hangings and stonings. Don't expect them to do anything about it! And with Iran's track record for being the world's leader as far as executing people goes, I'm sure they won't lose that title any time soon.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

The Occupy Wall Street movement is garnering support from all of the usual, laughable suspects.

From that oppressive land of mullahs- a country that condemns women to death by stoning for adultery, hangs homosexuals and leads the world in executing children comes Gen. Masoud Jazayeri of the ruthless Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Jazayeri thinks what's occurring here is just dandy, calling what's happening on the streets of major cities across the U.S. the "American Spring". The "Arab Spring", that began earlier this year in the Middle East and elsewhere, managed to oust several long-time dictators and autocrats. No mention, of course, of Iran's Green Revolution of 2009 and the brutal suppression by police and the Basij (who get their orders from the Revolutionary Guard). Many were killed during those post-election protests, and female prisoners arrested after the crackdown have spoken of being raped in prison. Jazayeri's only concern is the toppling of Western capitalism, not the myriad of human rights violations in his own country.

Blaming Obama he said:

"The failure of the U.S. president to resolve the Wall Street crisis will turn this economic movement into a political and social movement protesting the very structure of the U.S. government. A revolution and a comprehensive movement against corruption in the U.S. is in the making. The last phase will be the collapse of the Western capitalist system."

Then, of course, Venezuela's joke of a President Hugo Chavez (who also happens to be good buddies with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) had to pipe in, as is customary. Hugo condemned the "horrible repression" of Wall Street protests. Uh, yeah, a little mace and a few arrests here and there for rowdy protesters is horribly oppressive. Anyone hear any condemnation from Hugo during all the violence against the Iranian peaceful protests in 2009? Didn't think so. And how about his other buddy Fidel Castro's jails full of political prisoners. And how many political prisoners does Hugo have in his jails?

Occupy Wall Street activists can be proud to have these two jokers support their movement.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Dogs, what Westerners consider to be 'man's best friend', are anathema to Muslims. They believe them to be 'unclean'. We've all read the stories about cab drivers in Western countries refusing to pick up blind people with 'seeing-eye' dogs. But in Spain, their hatred of dogs is resulting in puppycide- poor pups are actually being exterminated.

In the city of Lérida, (north eastern Catalonia) with a Muslim immigrant population of 20 percent, dogs have been turning up poisoned (at least a dozen in September), and one can only assume who the culprits are. Local non-Muslims claim they are being harassed while walking their dogs. And since the police have not done much to prevent harassment, the locals themselves have set up a 6-person escort system.

In July, two Islamic groups based in Lérida asked city officials to regulate the presence of dogs in public spaces so they do not "offend Muslims." Muslims are demanding that dogs be banned from all forms of public transportation including all city buses as well as from all areas frequented by Muslim immigrants.

Muslims in Lérida say the presence of dogs violates their religious freedom and their right to live according to Islamic principles.

Violates their rights? What about the rights of the people who were living there first to own a dog! But, that's the problem, at least according to Muslims.

Much of Spain was ruled by Muslim conquerors from 711 and 1492; Salafists believe that the territories the Muslims lost during the Spanish Reconquista still belong to them, and that they have a right to return and establish their rule there – a belief based on the Islamic precept that territories once occupied by Muslims must forever remain under Muslim domination.

Much of the troubles Catalonia is currently encountering, including- forced marriages, genital mutilation, implementation of Sharia law and other abominations- is a direct result of their efforts to separate from Spain.

In an effort to promote the Catalan language, Catalonian pro-independence parties have traditionally favored immigration from non-Spanish-speaking countries, especially from Arabic-speaking Muslim countries, in the belief that these people would speak Catalan rather than Spanish.

Unfortunately, it hasn't worked, and now they are left with an ever burgeoning Muslim population that not only refuses to assimilate, it wants control over the whole region.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

What happens to an actress In Iran if the ruling mullahs and other religious conservatives dislike a film you were involved with: you get flogged and jailed, of course.

Marzieh Vafamehr, Iranian actress and wife of screenwriter and director Nasser Taghvai, was sentenced to a year in jail and 90 lashes for a film she starred in entitled "My Tehran For Sale".

An Iranian/Australian co-production, apparently it tells the story of a young woman, also named Marzieh, who lives in Tehran under the current regime. Also an actress (and mime), she is banned from her theatre work by Iranian officials, which forces her to live a double life in order to nurture her artistic needs. The film explores just what that secret life means in urban Tehran, something that many Iranian youth are forced to do these days.

Life imitating art and vice versa.

However, one does have to remember that this is what the Iranians wanted back in the late 1970s.

Saturday, October 08, 2011

Instead of being hailed as a hero, the Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA in its hunt to kill Osama Bin Laden will be charged with 'high treason'. So says a government commission assigned to investigate the U.S. operation that ultimately killed Bin Laden. Dr. Shakil Afridi, who set up a vaccination programme that was tasked with trying to get DNA samples from Bin Laden family members, could face the death penalty for ridding the world of the most wanted man on the planet. But it's quite obvious the Pakistanis see things quite differently.

I'm sure a lot of the anger has to do with the fact that the Bin Laden raid was a covert operation that took the Pakistanis by surprise, and the panel was more than likely set up to save face for their monumental ineptitude. But had the government been apprised of the situation, Bin Laden would probably still be alive somewhere today. Pakistan's spy agency- Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has oft been accused of supporting the Taliban's Haqqani Network, and I would venture to say it was well aware of Bin Laden's residency in Abbottabad. His fortified mansion was smack dab in the middle of a military town, and approximately 75 from Islamabad, the capital. And yet he lived there for five years! How could they not have known? We finally caught up with him after ten long years, but rest assured it took that long to find him because the Pakistanis wanted it that way.

Thankfully there are some, like the good doctor, willing to put their lives on the line to rid the world of terrorism. But most Pakistanis are perfectly content to live alongside the violence, embracing their backwards Sharia law and their Blasphemy law, and taking steps back into the dark ages alongside their Afghan brothers.

They are not our friends, and yet we continue to send them aid, and that's not likely to change any time soon.

Who knows what will happen to Afridi and his family. The U.S. has been attempting to pressure the Pakistanis into letting them come to the U.S. but, so far, they'd rather charge him with treason.

Friday, October 07, 2011

There are actually fools who don't believe that Al-Qaeda exists, or that it's a CIA fabrication. I personally know some of them, and those same people believe 9/11 was a conspiracy. I'm not quite sure who they think rammed those planes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, and what entities are responsible for all the ongoing violence and savagery. But they refuse to acknowledge that evil exists in the form of religious Islamic extremism, and would rather blame the U.S. government (mostly under G.W. Bush's tenure) for all the ills of the world.

I guess they haven't seen Al-Qaeda's slick online English language magazine, Inspire, downloadable from the various jihadi sites that post it. The latest issue (#7) that Blazing Catfur downloaded and posted here, is worth a look, for all the doubters. Then again, I'm sure they will claim it too is a fabrication.

Not sure what will happen with future issues since Anwar Al-Awlaki was offed, as Inspire was his pet project, but I'm sure someone will carry on the legacy. There will always be another roach looking for his 72 virgins, or willing to inspire others to get their 72.

The latest edition was a special 9/11 edition. The editor in chief Yahya Ibrahim says:

As for conspiracy theories, there's a particularly interesting article about Iran's stance on the issue:

The Iranian government has professed on the tongue of its president Ahmadinejad that it does not believe that al Qaeda was behind 9/11 but rather, the U.S. government. So we may ask the question: why would Iran ascribe to such a ridiculous belief that stands in the face of all logic and evidence?

[Snip] 9/11 was neither the beginning of the war between the Muslims and the West nor was it the end. It was merely an episode in a long, protracted war that started at the time of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and will end with al-Malĥama, the epic battle mentioned in the hadith. [snip]

Sunday, October 02, 2011

After years of trying to negotiate peace with the Taliban, Afghan's President Hamid Karzai has come to the conclusion that the whole effort is pointless. What I want to know is what took him (and everyone else, including our fearless leader) so darn long?!

The violence has never stopped, regardless of the efforts to bring the Taliban to the table, fruitless as they were. The Taliban even scoffed at our efforts back in 2009 to reach out. Afghan civilians are as much a target as NATO soldiers and Afghan officials, but it took an alleged 'peace emmisary' to blow up former President Burhanuddin Rabbani, in his own home to boot, for Karzai to finally realize it 'aint ever gonna happen. I never thought it would, violence is far too ingrained in that segment of society. The Taliban will never give up its goal of returning that country to full Taliban leadership. They don't want things to progress into the 21st century, they want life to return to the same dark ages when Sharia was law, and women remained barefoot, pregnant and covered up, at home.

And Karzai isn't just blaming the Taliban for the lack of progress, he's joined the U.S. in condemning Pakistan for what he believes to be collusion, and actually threatened to go to the international community if Pakistan doesn't do something about harboring militants. Yeah, good luck with that.

I'm sure he's right, and there are many who would concur, including U.S. officials who believe that the ISI has ties to the insurgents for various reasons.

Critics have accused the Pakistani government of protecting Taliban leaders to maintain good relations with the group in anticipation of Western forces' eventual withdrawal from the country — an allegation denied by Pakistan. Many analysts also believe the ISI's alleged support for insurgent groups is an attempt to promote Pakistan's interests in Afghanistan and counter the influence of archenemy India, which Karzai plans to visit this week.

Of course, Pakistan's official response to Karzai and Mohammadi's accusations were met with quite a different reaction then when General Mullen recently accused them of some of the same things. Of course, the Pakistanis categorically denied any involvement in the killing of Rabbani- then again they deny everything even though most of the Taliban leadership reside in Pakistan and Osama Bin Laden was living high on the hog smack dab in a fortressed mansion in Pakistan for years. But, in this case, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani called Karzai a brother and a friend and called the whole thing a misunderstanding, saying,

"If any intelligence sharing or any cooperation is required, God willing, we will provide that," Gilani said in his hometown of Multan, Pakistan. "We will help them, but they cannot doubt us."

Doubt us? The one thing about lying is that you can tell me you aren't lying but that doesn't mean you aren't.. It's actually allowed in Islam- it's called al-Taqiyya.

Like the Palestinian situation, I don't see much hope of resolution. Too many factors and issues that will never be resolved, at least in my lifetime.